Heel and counter protector for shoe



Nov. 13, 1962 s, BEA-[TIE 3,063,172

HEEL AND COUNTER PROTECTOR FOR SHOE Filed July 21, 1961 IN VENTOR.

mQ Q mm WWW,

AT TORNEY d States Claims. (Cl. 36-72) This invention relates to protectors for the heel and counter of a shoe, and the invention is intended especially for protecting those parts of the shoe of a drivers right foot from becoming soiled as a result of contact with the fioor of an automobile when operating the accelerator.

It is an object of the invention to provide an improved protector that can be applied temporarily to the back of a shoe for covering that part of the shoe which touches the floor of the automobile when using the shoe to press the accelerator. Usually it is the back of the counter of the shoe which becomes soiled.

On womens shoes particularly, because of the shape of the heel, the side surfaces of the heel do not touch the fioor and it is sufficient to protect only the counter. The preferred embodiment of the invention covers only the counter.

Another object of the invention is' to provide an improved protector that slips over the upper part of the back of a shoe and that is held in position by the back of the heel of a person wearing the shoe. This protector can be used with shoes having only a strap around the back of the wearers heel, and with such a shoe or slipper, the protector not only prevents the strap from becoming soiled but it also protects the exposed portion of the stocking below the strap and above the heel of the shoe or slipper.

Another object is to provide a protector, of the character indicated, with a construction that connects with any shoe without having fastening means on the shoe and without in any way altering the construction of the shoe. The invention is quickly and conveniently applied and removed so that it can be put on upon getting into an automobile, and removed at the end of a drive.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will appear or be pointed out as the description proceeds.

In the drawing, forming a part hereof, in which like reference characters indicate corresponding parts in all the views;

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a heel-and-counter protector made in accordance with this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a reduced-scale view, showing the protector of FIGURE 1 in assembled relation with a shoe;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged view, partly broken away and partly in section, showing the protector on the shoe of FIGURE .2;

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 3 but showing the protector on a different kind of shoe; and

FIGURE 5 is a view similar to FIGURES 3 and 4, but showing the protector applied to a slipper having only a strap which extends around the back of the wearers foot.

The protector shown in the drawing includes a shield 16 shaped to the general contour of the back surface of a heel or counter portion of a shoe. This shield is preferably made of rubber or plastic material which is flexible so as to accommodate itself to shoes of different contour.

The shield has a tab 12 connected to the rest of the shield at a fold line 14. The tab is preferably of one-piece construction with the rest of the shield and is of the general shape of the inside of a counter portion. Like the rest of the shield, however, the tab 12 is flexible and will accommodate itself to different counter shapes, including shoes of different size as well as style.

atent O At the lower end of the shield 10 there is a strap 16 of rubber or other elastic material; and this strap 16 has its opposite ends secured to the lower and forward portions of the shield by stitching 18 or other suitable fastening means.

FIGURE 2 shows the shield 10- on a shoe 20. The upper end of the shield is in position to pass across the top edge of the counter portion and to locate the tab 12 within the shoe where it is held againstthe back of the shoe by the wearers foot; The elastic strap 16 extends around the front of a heel 22 of the shoe 20. 1 Because of the concave curvature of the heel 22, it is not necessary to protect it from contact with the floor of the automobile. It is sufficient, therefore, to have the shield 10 merely long-enough to cover the counter portion of the shoe, this counter portion being indicated in FIG- URE 2 by the reference character 24.

FIGURE 3 shows the construction of FIGURE 2 in somewhat greater detaiL- The tab 12 is shown extending a little more than half way down inside the back of the shoe and is shown with a feather edge 26 which is preferably used to avoid any ridge behind the wearers foot. Such a ridge would cause discomfort, but when the pro tector of this invention is made of very thin material, the feather edge 26 is unnecessary because any change in contour, at the lower end of the thin material, is not noticeable.

The shield 10 extends part way around the sides of the counter portion, the front edges of the shield being indicated by the reference character 28. Some extent of the shield around the sides is necessary because of the fact that a person rocks his or her shoe to some extent when using it on an accelerator, and also because of the fact that some cars have carpeting on the floor, into the pile of which the shoe sinks with a large increase in the area of contact on which the shoe is supported.

The lower portion of the shield 10 may terminate at the top of the heel 22; but it preferably extends part way over the heel so as to give the strap 16 a more direct forward pull, and also to protect the upper part of the heel where the concave contour of the heel is minimal.

FIGURE 4 shows the shield 10 on a shoe 30 which has a low heel 32. On this shoe, the shield 10* extends further down on the heel than necessary, but because of the elasticity of the strap 16, and the flexibility of the shield 10, the protector accommodates itself to this different style of shoe. For heels which have no concavity to their rearward surface, a shield 10 long enough to cover the heel is necessary for protecting the heel from soiling or excessive wear. If the lower part of the heel is rubber, it is not necessary to have the shield extend over the rubber since this does not become soiled and does not show surface wear, as in the case of other heels. A rubber heel 34 is shown as the lower part of the heel in FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 5 shows the shield 10 applied to a shoe or slipper 40. This slipper 40 has a medium heel 42 with a shallow rubber heel 44; and it has only a strap 46 which extends around the back of the wearers foot. The tab 12 fits over the back of the strap 46 .and extends downwardly. The wearers foot holds the tab 12 against the strap 46 and against the inside surface of the portion of the shield 10' which would be outside the counter portion on a different style of shoe. The elastic strap 16 is stretched around the front of the heel 42, as in the other figures.

For a backless slipper, such as shown in FIGURE 5, it is preferable to have the shield 10 extend downwardly over the upper portion of the heel 42 so that the strap 16 can pull against the back of the heel. This protects the upper portion of the heel which is not concave and in an open-back slipper the shield also protects the wearers stocking from becoming soiled by contact with the floor of the automobile.

In the constructions illustrated, the tab 12 extends approximately'half-way, or more than half-way, down into the back of the shoe. This is an important improvement over constructions where protectors have been attached to the counter portion with short metal hooks because such hooks are uncomfortable if they project downwardly, and are very ditficult to put on and take off if they do not have a flaring entrance which results in some inward projection. The principle of this invention is that the tab 12 is soft and secured to the rest of the shield at a fold line 14; and the tab has a substantial hook strength only when held against the back of the shoe by the wearers foot. Satisfactory results require that the tab have a substantial length and this length is preferably at least of the height of the top edge of the counter portion or strap above the bottom of the inside of the shoe.

The preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, but changes and modifications can be made and some features can be used in difierent combinations without departing from the invention as defined in the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A protector for the rearward portion of a shoe when resting the shoe on the floor of an automobile adjacent to an accelerator, said protector including a shield having the general configuration of the rearward portion of a counter portion of a shoe and extending for some distance on both sides of the rearward end of the shoe, the shield having a tab at its upper end connected to the rest of the shield at a fold line and adapted to extend over the upper end of a counter portion and then downwardly between the inside of the counter portion and the back of the heel of a foot on which the shoe is worn, said tab having a center portion that forms a liner in the heel extending downward for a substantial part of the height of the outside portion of the shield, and said liner extending transversely on both sides of the center portion and along part of each side of the counter portion, and a strap at the lower end of the front of the shield for extending around the front of the heel of the shoe.

2. The protector described in claim 1, and in which the tab and the rest of the shield are of one piece construction.

3. The protector described in claim 1, and in which the length of the tab is at least 20% of the length of the shield, and the tab increases in width below its foldline connection with the rest of the shield to obtain an increased area of contact with the foot on which the shoe is worn.

4. The combination with a shoe having a shield and a counter portion above the heel, of a shield overlying the counter portion and having the general shape of the back of the counter portion and extending for some distance forward across the sides of the counter portion on both sides of the back of the shoe, the shield having a fold at the top of the counter portion and having a tab portion that extends downwardly inside of the shoe along the inside surface of the counter portion at the rear thereof, said tab having a center portion that forms a liner in the heel extending downward for a substantial part of the height of the outside portion of the shield, and said liner extending transversely on both sides of the center portion and along part of each side of the counter portion, the shield terminating adjacent to the upper end of the heel.

5. The combination described in claim 4, and in which there is a band attached to the shield near the lower end thereof and extending across the front of the heel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,691,582 Nowak Nov. 13, 1928 1,816,784 McDermatt July 28, 1931 1,828,246 Destro Oct. 20, 1931 1,830,912 Ramey Nov. 10, 1931 1,916,815 Smith July 4, 1933 1,955,159 Destro 'Apr. 17, 1934 FOREIGN PATENTS 632,975 Germany July 17, 1936 

